8.08.2012

Election-related violence began late last year in September between the two
main political parties – the SLPP and APC. However, these incidents were not
the first. Ever since President Koroma was inaugurated in 2007, APC “thugs”
have participated in several violent incidents with SLPP party members.

On September
9,2011, Bo was taken by surprise by violence after Julius
Maada Bio was elected the flag bearer of the SLPP. Bio traveled to the SLPP
stronghold of Bo where he was on a ‘thank you’ tour for his supporters. While
traveling down Mahei Boima Road in Bo where the APC regional office is located,
a stone was thrown at Bio whose head was sticking out of the roof of his car.
As explained to me by Francis Ansumana, “This [incident] led to ‘fracas’ in the
town where there was [then] fighting and infrastructure damage”.1 Although
nobody saw who threw the stone, bystanders said it came from the direction of
the APC office. Tear gas and live bullets were used to quell the crowd after
the ‘fracas’ broke out. As a result of the police response, 22 people had their
feet shot at and 1 died on the spot – Bio was hospitalized.2 In
response to the incident, angry SLPP members burned down a “pa eyai”3 office,
and as a result of the incident, political candidates can no longer hold
rallies and party supporters can no longer wear political attire - although
that does not stop many.4 All campaigning is now down through
the radio in order to prevent further violence from breaking out.

After the incident, Bio offered to pay the bills for the 21 SLPP supporters who
were hospitalized and an investigation committee was created to investigate the
‘fracas’; however, the committees are all controlled by the APC, so it is
assumed that the findings will be falsified and corrupt.5Furthermore,
during the violence police arrested 15 SLPP supporters including one SLPP
parliamentarian, despite the fact the violence incident was presumably
instigated by APC members. Bio paid bail for his incarcerated supporters.6 The
Bo incident illustrated the potential violence that could ensue in November;
however, it also put to the test the integrity of the political candidates,
especially Bio. In response to the violence, Bio could have easily told his
supporter to take revenge on APC members, but instead he firmly reprimanded APC
members for resorting to this kind of violence and then called for a return to
peaceful election campaigns. This incident, however, highlighted the intense
political allegiances that people hold close.

2012 Freetown Violence

Sierra Leone was incident free in the months that followed the Bo ‘fracas’, but
in January during a by-election in the capital city of Freetown, violence
ensued yet again. It was reported that a crowd was preventing voters from
entering a polling station and accusing them of not being “residents of the
community” and “voters [of that] constituency”.7 The group
responsible for starting the violence differs depending on which Sierra Leonean
newspaper you read. Some claim that a former supporter of the SLPP crossed over
to the APC was calling “constituents along Canteen Street to exercise their
franchise” after the APC lost the by-election in this former APC
stronghold. The angry group stabbed the newly elected SLPP Chairman in the
thigh with a horn. If this account is accurate then it would be APC members who
once again were responsible for the violence.

However, other reports claim otherwise. Some attribute the violence to the
newly elected SLPP Chairman who was “seen leading a gang of mobs” who then
“wounded scores of APC sympathizers” with machetes.8 This account would
place the blame upon the SLPP. From the varied information coming from Sierra
Leonean news sources, it is evident that the media holds a strong political
bias to either one side or another. Regardless of who initiated the violence,
it once again illustrates the tensions between both the SLPP and the APC. To
stop the violence, police once again used live bullets and tear gas.9 Both the Freetown and Bo incidents
could either be isolated incidents of violence that occurred simply because
those who were present were party extremists, or it could be a signal for what
might be at stake in the November election. Either way, it is clear that
what was meant to be a non-violent election has not yet been as such.

Pa Eyai - translated from Krio as 'Father Eye' -
is the name for offices set up around the country by the government to act as
'eyes' for the President.

4 Although political attire is technically forbidden, I still
saw a handful of people who sported SLPP pins and hats during my stay in Bo
after the ‘fracas' and in full APC garb on street corners in July.

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